Traditional Maltese Figolli Recipe

• 1kg plain flour
• 250g unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 250g margarine (room temperature)
• 350g caster sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond essence
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1-2 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2-3 tablespoon water (if necessary)

Filling Ingredients

• 500g ground almonds
• 300g powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond essence
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Start by preparing the pastry. Beat the butter, margarine, and sugar together until creamy. Add the lemon zest, vanilla extract, and almond essence.
2. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, and beat until the mixture starts to come together. Continue to form the dough by hand. Leave it to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, sift the powdered sugar and stir in the ground almonds. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond essence, then mix well.
4. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold them into the almond mixture until all ingredients are well combined. The mixture should resemble a dough.
5. Dust the work surface with flour and roll out the pastry. Use a cookie cutter or cardboard shape to cut out the pastry. For each figolla, you will need two identical shapes to form a sandwich.
6. Dust the work surface with powdered sugar and roll out the filling to about 1cm thick. Using the cookie cutter, cut out the filling and trim 1cm from all around the shape.
7. Place the bottom pastry shapes on a cookie/baking sheet. Put the filling on half of the pastry shapes. Wet the 1cm margin with some water and place the other half of the pastry shapes on top to cover the filling. Seal the edges properly.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for 25-30 minutes, or until golden.
9. Allow the figolli to cool completely before decorating.